What foods are you eating to reduce recurrence?

yoga_girl

Nutrition for the Person With Cancer During Treatment

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorshipduringandaftertreatment/nutritionforpeoplewithcancer/nutritionforthepersonwithcancer/index#HK2iU0zUkyrrbrPs.97

Vitamins and Supplements for Cancer Patients

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/cancer-supplements#1

Nutrition for People With Cancer

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorshipduringandaftertreatment/nutritionforpeoplewithcancer/index?sitearea=M

Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ®)–Patient Version

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/appetite-loss/nutrition-pdq

gardengypsy

Lots of beans, greens and fermented foods

yoga_girl

Bone Broth Benefits - Cancer

Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease
by Allison Siebecker

To read the full article:

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/broth0205.htm

Reduce Anxiety and Insomnia

Minerals found in bone broth can promote healing of the intestinal tract, and both soothe and stabilize mood.Bone broth is a particularly rich source of calcium and magnesium and may therefore be beneficial for supporting strong bones. It may also be helpful in calcium or magnesium deficiency related insomnia, irritability, fatigue and anxiety.

Broth can be considered for use in the following conditions: food allergies, dairy maldigestion, colic, bean maldigestion, meat maldigestion, grain maldigestion, hypochlorhydria, hyperacidity (gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis, ulcer, hiatal hernia) inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, malnutrition, weight loss, muscle wasting, cancer, osteoporosis, calcium deficiency and anemia.

Basic Broth Making and Usage

Ingredients
1. Bones—from poultry, fish, shellfish, lamb cooked remnants of a previous meal, with or without skin and meat raw bones, with or without skin and meat use a whole carcass or just parts (good choices include feet, ribs, necks and knuckles)

don't forget shellfish shells, whole fish carcasses (with heads) or small dried shrimp

2. Water—start with cold water enough to just cover the bones or 2 cups water per 1 pound bones

3. Vinegar—apple cider, red or white wine, rice, balsamic a splash 2 tablespoons per 1 quart water or 2 pounds bones lemon juice may be substituted for vinegar (citric acid instead of acetic acid)

4. Vegetables (optional)—peelings and scraps like ends, tops and skins or entire vegetable celery, carrots, onions, garlic and parsley are the most traditionally used, but any will do if added towards the end of cooking, mineral content will be higher

Recipe
Combine bones, water and vinegar in a pot, let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour, bring to a simmer, remove any scum that has risen to the top, reduce heat and simmer (6–48 hrs for chicken). To reduce cooking time, you may smash or cut bones into small pieces first. If desired, add vegetables in last ½ hour of cooking (or at any point as convenience dictates). Strain through a colander or sieve, lined with cheesecloth for a clearer broth. Discard the bones. If uncooked meat was used to start with, reserve the meat for soup or salads.

An easy way to cook broth is to use a crockpot on low setting. After putting the ingredients into the pot and turning it on, you can just walk away. If you forget to skim the impurities off, it's ok, it just tastes better if you do. If you wish to remove the fat for use in gravy, use a gravy separator while the broth is warm, or skim the fat off the top once refrigerated. Cold broth will gel when sufficient gelatin is present. Broth may be frozen for months or kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Nutritional Contents

Extra Cellular Matrix				Cells
Ground Substance		Protein Fibers
Bone:	calcium	Bone:	collagen I (90%)	Bone:	osteocytes
	phosphorus		collagen III
	magnesium
	sulfur
	fluoride
	sodium and potassium
Cartilage:	chondroitin sulfate	Cartilage:	collagen II	Cartilage:	chondrocytes
	keratin sulfate		elastin
	hyaluronic acid

A Little Background

Bone contains calcium and phosphorus, and to a lesser degree, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate and fluoride. Bone is an excellent source of minerals. All of the minerals present in bone, except fluoride, are macro-minerals, which are essential for proper nutrition and are required in greater amounts than 100mg/day. The only macro-mineral not present in bone is chlorine. Minerals have numerous functions in the body beyond the composition of bone, which is why the body will rob the bones and tissues to maintain steady levels of minerals in the blood and other fluids.

Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement, and a calcium supplement. The chemical ingredients extracted from broth are glycine and proline (collagen/ gelatin), calcium and phosphorus (minerals), hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate (GAGs), and other minerals, amino acids and GAGs in smaller amounts.

gardengypsy

Yoga girl~ The bone broth idea intrigues me and I believe in the "nutrient dense" concept.

They are selling bone broth for big $ in the health food stores now!

Katjadvm

Sprouting my own broccoli seeds for the sulphoraphane and juicing. Juicing makes me feel more energetic in general.

gardengypsy

Just got a refurbished Vitamix from my partner for a gift. Ready for juicing!!

thistooshallpass2010

I'm getting confused. Fruits - are they good to eat or not? Is artificial sweetener safe to use in lieu of white sugar? Soy protein isolate is not good but soy milk and edamame are? Is there any definitive answer or is it just a matter of taste?

solfeo

Unfortunately, no, there is no definitive answer to the question of what to eat or not to eat after a breast cancer diagnosis. There are a lot of opinions out there, and most of them are based on some sort of research but it's all very conflicting.

I don't eat any fruit except for lemon juice because I am in the weight loss phase of a ketogenic (very low carb) diet. Fruit has a lot of nutrients but the reason some people avoid it is due to the sugar content. Too much sugar is not good for anyone, but especially not if you have had cancer. If you do eat fruit it might be prudent to keep it to one to two servings per day and save the super high glycemic fruits (bananas, pineapple and others) for an occasional treat.

One issue with artificial sweeteners is that they provoke an insulin response and cancer loves high insulin levels. When you taste the sweetness your body starts to prepare for handling the glucose even though your blood sugar never actually goes up from the artificial sweeteners. I think stevia, erythritol, and monk fruit have less of an effect on insulin so that's what I use in moderation. Get the kind with no additives.

Who the heck knows about soy. The uncertainty keeps me from eating it on a regular basis, but I'm not going to worry about occasional exposure when I go out to dinner.

Have you seen the website Food for Breast Cancer? She aggregates the research. I don't always agree with her conclusions but it's a good place to start.

abigail48

nuts

solfeo

Some people do a vegetarian version of a low carb diet, so it must be possible without relying on beans. I don't know much about it but I'm guessing most of them do eat nuts, eggs and cheese unless they are vegan. Some people swear by pea protein powder, which is a lentil but it's not like eating a big bowl of peas. I have no idea how it tastes but it might be worth a try.

I can only tell you about my personal experience with whey. After my BMX I wanted to give my body extra protein to heal, so I started drinking smoothies with organic goat whey (it's supposed to be better for you than cow's whey). I came down with a terrible case of restless leg syndrome that I thought must have been caused by the anesthesia or something, but I eventually identified the cause to be the whey protein. When I stopped eating it the RLS resolved the same day.

I think whey is one of those foods that some people are sensitive to and others are not. You would have to try it to see which group you are in.

Westthebest

Hi Bosumblues and ladies!

I use a brand of protein powder from Whole Foods called RAW FIT-Vegan, Gluten free, dairy free soy free. (I thought Whey had soy in it, but not sure.)

Also any who likes to make healthy attractive delicious food-the cookbook Making Cleansing Easier by Veronica Wheat is available at Amazon.com for about $24.95...She is a nutritional therapist who has a Cleanse company called Chef V. They deliver in Calif and NYC, and working on rest of US My Naturopath said her clients love the book. She shares must have pantry items, organic mostly, fabulous recipies-mac and cheese-less cheese, and soups to lasagna. Much info for cleanses and every day health.

solfeo

Whey doesn't have soy in it but it is a milk protein and therefore not suitable for vegans.

ChiSandy

The problem with soy protein isolates (as additives, protein powders, meat-imitators, etc.) is the processing highly concentrates the isoflavones so you’re getting more of them per serving than you would with tofu, edamame, soymilk, etc. Due to the denaturing process, you might not be getting the benefits of the isoflavones proportionate to the “burdens” of their estrogenic effect. "Soy-in-the-wild” also comes with fiber, minerals, water, etc.

Whey is safe if it comes from hormone-free sources of dairy. But AFAIK it needs to be combined with either a legume or a starch to be a complete protein. (At least that’s what we were taught back in our “Diet For a Small Planet" days). I think green supplements derived from kale, wheatgrass or spirulina are okay so long as the processing is minimal and involves as few additives as possible.

Christina313

another great thing to incorporate into our diets is turnip or rutabaga. I was looking online and if you eat this on a regular basis it's said to kill 86 percent of breast cancer cells.

gardengypsy

West: Making Cleansing Easier sounds like a great source.

ChiSandy

Christina, what are the online sources where turnip or rutabaga are “said to kill 86 % of breast cancer cells?" What type of bc (i.e., histology, receptor status, ductal vs lobular)? What quantities of these root vegetables are necessary? (and why not parsnip, salsify, beets or kohlrabi, all related)? Any foods that would interfere with their supposed effects? How did they arrive at "86%?" True and valid statistics refer to the number of cases using the substance or treatment vs. number getting placebo or control, not an arbitrary number such as % of cells destroyed. Is it possible you read a case study of one patient who claimed her tumor shrank by 86%? That’s called “anecdotal” evidence, which is not really evidence.

“Online" is a huge red flag, as the internet (especially Dr. Google) has no credibility filters. Valid scientific info and quackery are given equal time. Tread carefully—we owe it to ourselves to seek out and discern the best information (including the terminology and spelling—drives me nuts when patients misspell the names of drugs that are right there on the label and surgeries that are right there in their charts).

This is the only life we get. We need to be our best advocates and guard it with…well, our lives.

MelissaDallas

I would also be highly skeptical of any "nutritionist" who recommends "cleansing" in any form, and especially one who has her own "cleanse" business

solfeo

I am a strong believer in diet and lifestyle changes as a recurrence prevention strategy but I do not believe these things cure cancer. What they do is put your body in its best position to heal and stay healed. I don't doubt that turnips and rutabagas are good for you but I would not be counting on them to kill any cancer cells in normal amounts a person would be capable of eating. Broccoli is in the same family and it has been found to have some anticancer properties. Eat all you want but it's not a good idea in my opinion to substitute broccoli for medicine.

gardengypsy

"What they do is put your body in its best position to heal and stay healed." Yes, Solfeo

Well said, Sandy.

I agree about "cleansing" Melissa!

ChiSandy

The only time your guts need “cleansing” is in preparation for a colonoscopy. Otherwise, internally “cleansing” the body of “toxins” is horse-hockey. (Feminine hygiene sprays and douches are also bogus). What a “cleanse” or juice fast can incidentally accomplish is a “re-set" of your appetites, food preferences, and satiety levels so that you can more readily adapt to desirable lifestyle changes.

Momine

Solfeo, yup, that is exactly what my doc said. He is aware of the studies on broccoli, obviously, and told me that although a healthy diet is a great thing, I could never eat enough broccoli for it to do anything against the cancer

brigid_TO

I am not recommending that anyone replace their current treatment with broccoli but I would not be so quick to write the entire concept off.

Momine, your doctor was correct that you would need to eat a bucket of uncooked broccoli to have any impact. However broccoli sprouts have been shown to have a real and significant anti-cancer effect. This has been something difficult to replicate in pill form. I believe the recommendation is one cup of broccoli sprouts per day.

pubmed has lots of positive studies on the topic and here is just one non-scientific article:

https://www.remissionnutrition.com/single-post/201...

Broccoli sprouts are not usually available at the grocery-much easier to grow at home.

solfeo

I had chemosensitivity testing done on my cancer cells, using conventional and natural substances. Based on the results I came to the opinion that cancer probably develops resistance to natural cancer-fighting substances, in food or supplements, in the same way it learns to get around conventional treatments. It also adapts to using things against us that would have been considered cancer-preventive before the diagnosis, like antioxidants. Cancer is a sneaky beast. I do everything in my power to improve my odds, but knowing what I know now I believe the only way to guarantee survival from cancer is to prevent it. Unfortunately that ship has already sailed for all of us.

I took curcumin and melatonin for over a decade before the diagnosis. My cancer cells were killed in the lab by several common supplements that have been shown to have anticancer properties, that I have rarely or never taken, but zero cells were killed when exposed to curcumin and melatonin. I still think they have a health-promoting effect that can help me fight recurrence, but even if I could take enough to have a direct effect on the cancer they wouldn't likely kill the cells directly in me because it had already developed resistance.

Momine

Brigid, thanks. Do you have any of the scientific studies on broccoli sprouts handy

LilacBlue

Interesting recent study: The role of diet and breast cancer incidence, recurrence, or survival is highly complex. More prospective studies are needed to determine the role of diet and the underlying mechanisms that explain dietary benefits among women with breast cancer. http://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/breast-cancer/diet-role-breast-cancer-incidence-survival/article/650259/3/

brigid_TO

Hi Momine-Here are a few Sulfuoraphane studies:

Sulforaphane, a dietary component of broccoli/broccoli sprouts, inhibits breast cancer stem cells.

Epigenetic Regulation by Sulforaphane: Opportunities for Breast and Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention.

Sulforaphene inhibits triple negative breast cancer through activating tumor suppressor Egr1.

Momine

Brigid, thanks very much. The studies are tantalizing. However, they are preliminary. That is the eternal bitch with this stuff. Nothing in those studies actually support the idea that a cup of sprouts a day will have any effect on recurrence. It might, but we just don't know. Yet, anyway.

yoga_girl

Shredded/Chopped Cabbage – loads of Vit C and the cancer fighting compound sulforaphane

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulforaphane

Summer Cabbage Salad

3 cups chopped organic Asian cabbage mix w/ carrots broccoli & baby kale (wash, rinse, drain well)

1 large organic apple, chopped

3 Tablespoons slivered organic almonds

1 Tablespoon organic parsley or chopped fresh

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon concentrated orange juice (no sugar added)

2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt or salt substitute

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 shakes ground organic red pepper

3 shakes ground organic paprika

4 shakes ground organic ginger

¼ cup chopped organic onion or 1 Tablespoon dried minced (optional)

2½ Tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil

2-6 packs of organic Stevia (use less if you add a sweet apple or more if a tart apple)

Blend dressing, chill.Toss all to combine mix with dressing. Serve cold with orange slices on each plate.

Serving size: about 6, single 1 cups

Time to prepare: 15-20 minutes. Chill for 1 hour.

Per serving: 124 calories; 8 g fat(1 g sat); 3 g fiber; 13 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, folate, fiber

Momine

Yoga, nice recipe. I love cabbage salads of all kinds

gemini4

I have been making raw Brussels sprouts slaw as a side dish several times a week -- I have a cheap mandoline that slices the sprouts nice and thin. I dress in lemon juice and vinaigrette and season with both celery seed and celery salt. The texture of the raw sliced Brussels sprouts is -- for lack of a better word! -- "creamier" than raw cabbage. It's my favorite slaw/salad these days.